


A Dance of Dust

by Anna Marie Darkholme (WierdAlienFantasies)



Category: Excalibur (Comic), X-Men (Comicverse)
Genre: Alternate Universe - His Dark Materials Fusion, F/F, Fluff, Gen, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-18
Updated: 2019-01-18
Packaged: 2019-10-11 23:14:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17456114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WierdAlienFantasies/pseuds/Anna%20Marie%20Darkholme
Summary: Snippets from an X-Men (comicverse)-His Dark Materials Fusion featuring a young Kitty Pryde and Rachel Summers.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Edo no Hana (Edonohana)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Edonohana/gifts).



> Kitty is sent to greet the new student arriving at the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters.

The first time Kitty meets the mysterious girl the Professor’s been working with her normally brilliant mind fails her spectacularly. The girl before her has the most gorgeous eyes she’s ever seen even with the deep sadness that shines in them. Kitty wants to say something, make some joke or drop an expert icebreaker. What actually happens is she just stares with her jaw hanging slightly open (there goes her theory that that only happens in cheesy romance novels). The girl shifts uncomfortably under her gaze, dropping her own to the floor before mumbling.

“I can mask them.”

“Wha?”

Kitty mentally berates herself for her apparent inability to speak English.

“The scars. It takes a lot of focus, but I can do it if they’re making you uncomfortable. Or, you know.”

Kitty is left just blinking. She hasn’t noticed any scars, being so caught up in eyes and ridiculous daydreams, but now that they’ve been pointed out she finds her gaze drawn to them. Angry red lines score the girl’s chin and cheeks, closed over but not quite fully healed. Kitty doesn’t know what’s worse- that something gave the girl those marks in the first place, or that she feels the need to offer to hide them to make Kitty feel better. Finally finding her voice, she vehemently shakes her head.

“No! No, please don’t do that. I’m sorry, I can get really lost in my thoughts. It’s not you, and certainly not your scars. If I were you I wouldn’t change anything. I mean you’re stunning, I think I’d kill for looks like that… ah I mean you’re okay.”

Kitty wonders if she can call on the dust around them and phase herself into the ground. Unfortunately she promised the Professor she would show the new student around, and so if she used her gift to run away she’s certain it would result in dish duties for the next year. With no other choice she ploughs bravely on.

“Anyway, welcome to the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters. I’m Kitty and this,”

Kitty pauses to reach into her pocket and retrieve Lockheed from where he’d been sleeping in dormouse form.

“Is Lockheed. He’s a bit tired at the moment because we’ve just finished a training session, but usually you can’t get him to sit still.”

Having been disturbed from his nap Lockheed gives a disgruntled chough. Shooting a pointed glare at Kitty, he shakes himself off then shifts seamlessly into a pine marten and scurries down her body. He stops before the new girl, whiskers twitching as he checks her out. From behind her a small deer-like creature pokes it head out. It gives a gentle wicker, but stays where it is. For her part the girl holds Lockheed’s gaze, a mixture of awe and apprehension on her face. Finally, blinking once, Lockheed relaxes and starts to groom, apparently approving of the new girl and her dæmon. The girl manages a shaky smile, and the dæmon seems to gather the courage to venture out from behind her.

“Wow, Lockheed is usually suspicious of new people. There must be something special about you. Um, beyond the obvious. I’m guessing you’re a dusted seeing as you’ve been working with the professor and all… where are my manners? I didn’t even ask for your name.”

The girl’s smile grows a little as Kitty keeps talking. At her question, she speaks up again.

“Rachel. It’s nice to meet you, Kitty.”

The dæmon gives her hip a light head-butt, causing her to laugh. With one hand she reaches down to ruffle the tuft of fur on it’s head as she speaks.

“And this impatient little guy is Askani.”

Kitty takes a closer look at Askani. He appears partially grown, only reaching to Rachel’s hips and with just the beginnings of horns extending from his head. White stripes across his flank and a white bar across his nose break up an otherwise uniform tawny coat. He’s certainly distinctive, but Kitty has no idea what form he’s taken.

“Cool. What’s that form he’s in? I’ll admit biology isn’t my strong suit, I’m more a physics and computing girl…”

Rachel hesitates a moment, debating whether to say something. When she speaks again, her voice is much quieter so Kitty has to lean in slightly to make it out clearly.

“He’s a Greater Kudu. He… he’s always like that. It’s his settled form.”

Kitty is taken aback, but manages to hide her shock this time round. Rachel can’t be more than a year older than her, which would make her no older than 14. Dæmons usually didn’t settle until the end of puberty; 16 was considered unusually early. The only other way for a dæmon to settle was extreme trauma. A chill creeps up Kitty’s spine, and she has a horrible suspicion Askani’s settling is somehow linked to the scars on Rachel’s face. Pushing those thoughts aside, she plasters on her best smile.

“Well, I think he’s awesome! I sometimes worry Lockheed will settle as a sunfish or something and so I’ll have to live on a boat, which would be a nightmare as I get so seasick…”

To her surprise Kitty finds herself interrupted by laughter from Rachel. The sound is full of light and warmth and has Kitty’s own stomach filling with butterflies. Wilfully ignoring the feeling in her stomach, Kitty presses on.

“Anyway, I should probably show you round. There’s classes later, and trust me we do not want to be late for Professor McCoy’s science lecture…”

Having regained composure Rachel nods.

“Okay. Lead the way Kitty…”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kitty and Rachel take part in a danger room session.

_DUCK!_

Kitty obeys, narrowly avoiding the rain of darts that pierce the air where she’d been standing, but winces as the words rattle inside her head. Despite over a year’s experience with Professors Xavier and Braddock, she still finds it weird to experience telepathic messages. And, unlike the Professors, Rachel lacks years of practice and so struggles with the difference between mentally “speaking” and “shouting”. She must still be linked with Kitty, as a slightly quieter message follows

_Sorry, I didn’t mean to shout again. I thought I was getting better._

Kitty picks herself back up, speaking her answer aloud.

“Don’t sweat it, Professor Braddock says she nearly deafened her brother when her dust talent emerged. Twice!”

Kitty risks a glance to where Rachel and Askani are attempting to stay out of the range of a selection of flamethrowers. Both have nearly identical expressions of deep concentration. Despite herself Kitty lets out a chuckle. It is cut short as another barrage of darts fly her way. This time she has enough time to use her own gift, focusing on the ambient dust around her to shift her molecules out of phase with the solid world. The darts pass harmlessly through her. Lockheed coos from above her where he is weaving about to avoid a robotic press. Currently he’s in dragon form, one of his favourites. Kitty wouldn’t mind it if he settled as a dragon, but something about the form always feels a little wrong to her and so she’s doubtful he will. She’s pulled back to the exercise at hand by another telepathic message from Rachel.

_When you said it was called the danger room, I thought it would be an exaggeration! How are we supposed to complete this activity?_

“I’m working on it. Just keep dodging for now.”

_Easier said, or thought, than done._

Rachel’s response echoes Kitty’s own feelings, but she can’t afford to dwell on them. Every danger room simulation she’s experienced so far (which admittedly she can count on one hand, but at least this isn’t her first like Rachel) has featured an “end sequence” target. All she has to do is work out what this simulation’s is, and everything should shut down. As Kitty tries to calculate potential weaknesses to the seemingly random array of traps around them, two things happen in quick succession. Lockheed, showing off just a little too much, mistimes a barrel roll and crashes into the side of the press. At the same time Askani, fleeing a particularly violent flame burst, strays into the path of another fleet of darts.

“No!”

The simultaneous mental and physical cries blend into one. Instinct takes over as both Kitty and Rachel dive forward. Rachel’s eyes glow as she draws on another aspect of her dust gift and summons a wall of force to cushion Lockheed’s fall and guide him into her arms. At the same time Kitty grasps onto Askani and phases the two of them through the barrage of darts. She stays there, grasping Askani close to her chest and maintaining their phase, even as the emergency shut-down alarm blares and the traps around them fade away to reveal the room’s default state. Rachel too keeps a tight grip on Lockheed, shielding the two of them with a telekinetic cocoon.

A dark-skinned woman with white hair accompanied by a spoonbill and a man looking more like a blue furred devil than another human with an otter curled over his shoulders burst into the training room in bamf of red smoke. The woman races to Kitty’s side, concern shining in her blue eyes as she desperately looks her over whilst the man goes to Rachel.

“Kitten? Kitten are you alright?”

Shakily Kitty allows herself to return to solid, but retains her grip on Askani who appears equally shaken.

“Yeah… I think I’m fine ‘Ro.”

The woman lets out a breath Kitty hadn’t realised she was holding. She reaches out a hand to steady Kitty and help her to her feet.

“Thank the goddess. You and Rachel had Kurt and I worried.”

At the mention of Rachel’s name, it finally clicks in Kitty’s brain that she’s holding _Rachel’s d_ _æmon_. Not only that, _Rachel’s_ still clasped onto Lockheed. Ever since she could walk Kitty’s been told that to touch another’s dæmon is a grave transgression, a gesture meant only for the closest of relationships. Still, she doesn’t feel anything bad from Rachel’s contact with Lockheed. If anything she feels a pleasant warmth. Before she can react Rachel seems to come to her senses too, hastily setting Lockheed down. Kitty does the same with Askani. Both dæmons stay still a moment, slightly dazed, before shaking themselves off and racing over to their partner. Kitty scoops Lockheed up and lets him nuzzle her neck while Rachel scratches behind Askani’s ear as Professor Wagner leads her over to where Kitty and Professor Munroe stand.

“I am glad you are both unharmed. It seems Logan has been editing the settings for his personal sessions again, hence the glitch that resulted in the lowering of the safeties. You both performed admirably, but I assure you such a level will not be expected of you again until you have completed much more training. We will be suspending all student sessions until Forge has run a full systems diagnostic. I need you two to report to the med-bay for a full evaluation, just to be safe.”

“Would you like one of us to accompany you?”

Professor Munroe gently adds. Kitty shakes her head.

“No, we’re fine. Just a little shaken. We can make it by ourselves, right Rachel?”

Rachel nods. Ororo and Kurt exchange a worried glance, but nod in acquiescence.

“As you wish. But know that, as always, if you need anyone you have but to ask.”

With that Kitty takes Rachel by the hand and half drags her out of the Danger Room before they can change their mind. She keeps going until they are both well out of earshot, then halts and turns to face Rachel.

“What happened there?”

Rachel cocks her head in confusion.

“Well, Kurt said it was a system glitch but you’re better with computes than me…”

Kitty shakes her head, cutting in to interrupt her.

“No, not _that_. I mean back there, when you saved Lockheed. You were _touching_ him.”

Kitty can practically see the gears turning in Rachel’s head as the realisation of what happened sinks in.

“Oh Kitty, I’m so sorry I didn’t even think…”

Once again Kitty cuts in to wave off her apology.

“No, don’t be. You saved him. And anyway, I touched Askani too. I just… I mean… did it feel weird to you too? But not in a bad way?”

Kitty feels Rachel gently tap against her mind, asking for permission, and allows her in. She relieves her memory as Rachel sifts through it, feels Rachel’s own shock as she recognises the strange feeling of warmth that had overcome her when Kitty touched Askani. Withdrawing from Kitty’s mind, Rachel shakes her head.

“I don’t know what this means.”

“Me neither. But at least we’re in this together right?”

Rachel fixes Kitty with an unreadable stare. A small smile plays at the corner of her mouth.

“Yeah. I guess if I have to get caught up in a weird happening there’s worse people to be stuck with.”

Kitty feigns hurt, playfully slamming her shoulder into Rachel’s.

“Hey, I’ll have you know I’m the best person for those kind of situations. Weird Happenings Expert, that’s what they call me.”

“WHE?”

There is silence for a moment, before both girls break out into giggles. Kitty recovers first, wiping a half formed tear from her eye.

“Okay, I’ll admit that one maybe needs some work. Maybe.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a little extra, here are a few details on the daemons mentioned in the story:
> 
> Lockheed (Kitty’s daemon): Unsettled.  
> As fearless as Kitty, like her he can’t stand to see injustice. Liable to stick his nose in other’s business, he has a bit of a tendency to show off. His favourite form to take is a cat sized purple dragon.
> 
> Askani (Rachel’s daemon): Greater Kudu.  
> His form represents fierce protectiveness, self-sacrifice and a tendency to act first. He’s been left a little unsure of himself after the trauma that forced him to settle but, once he gets to know someone, his mischievous side shines through. Loyal to the last.
> 
> Wind-Rider (Ororo’s daemon): Spoonbill.  
> His form represents grace, protectiveness and humility. Despite his strange, almost frightening appearance Wind-Rider shares Storm’s gentle soul. He can be a bit reserved, but remains cool under pressure and will not hesitate to put himself in danger for the sake of others.
> 
> Lamaria (Kurt’s Daemon): Otter.  
> Her form represents empathy, flexibility and determination. Like Kurt she is as graceful an acrobat as she is gregarious in social situations. Despite Kurt’s utmost chivalry she is much more forward in her advances on other daemons.


End file.
